Darkblade Systems is proud to announce that it has earned a spot as #1438 on the 2017 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing privately-held companies.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of the starting calendar year, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Companies have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies— as of December 31, 2016. The minimum revenue required for 2013 is $100,000; the minimum for 2016 is $2 million.

Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is an American monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the “Inc. 500,” which was introduced in 1982. The Inc. 5000 is an expansion of the Inc. 500, which ranks the country’s top 5000 fastest-growing private companies and also features a special ranking of the top 10% of the list as the Inc. 500.

“The Association of Old Crows is an organization for individuals who have common interests in Electronic Warfare (EW), Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Operations, Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA), Information Operations (IO), and other information related capabilities. The Association of Old Crows provides a means of connecting members and organizations nationally and internationally across government, defense, industry, and academia to promote the exchange of ideas and information, and provides a platform to recognize advances and contributions in these fields.”

The name “Old Crows” emerged from the first large-scale use of Electronic Warfare during the WWII Battle of Britain and the US and allied bombing raids over Europe. The Allied Radar Countermeasure operators used the code name “Ravens” and employed receivers and transmitters to monitor and jam threat frequencies. Military jargon later changed “Ravens” to “Crows.”

Darkblade Systems provides operational support through the RPC qualification for work, business, and/or non-recreational purposes, including as part of unmanned systems testing and training, as well for Counter-UAS (CUAS) or Counter-UAV (CUAV) purposes.

The part 107 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) course describes the certification and operational requirements to operate sUAS in the National Airspace System (NAS) under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 107, small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. For part 61 pilot certificate holders with a current flight review, successful completion of this online course satisfies the training requirement before applying for a part 107 remote pilot certificate with an sUAS rating. All other interested individuals may complete this online course as a self-study resource. Individuals without a part 61 pilot certificate or current flight review are required to take the FAA Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) Knowledge Test at an FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center before applying for a part 107 certificate

Darkblade Systems has completed the 2016-2017 cohort with MissionLink, a nonprofit business league that promotes the common interests of small, emerging, and mid-sized technology and technology services companies in the defense, intelligence, and national security industry.

From the MissionLink website:

Connecting Decision Makers & Building a Community of Interest for National Security Focused Companies

MissionLink was founded as a nonprofit in 2010 by a local group of prominent business executives and former national security leaders. MissionLink provides an opportunity for peer to peer networking, mentorship, and knowledge sharing in an intimate and private setting. Each month member CEOs engage with a panel of experts to discuss current issues facing their companies and industry, exchange ideas, and meet other successful leaders in the field who can help guide them through the process of building great companies and improving the defense, intelligence, and national security industry. Upon completion of each year’s class, the participants are invited to a formal graduation ceremony, in which participants of MissionLink will explore ways to give back to community and those that support the mission of national security.

Darkblade Systems is #1 on the 2017 Virginia’s Fantastic 50 List. The Fantastic 50 List is comprised of privately held companies with headquarters in Virginia, with sales between $200,000 and $200 million, and which demonstrate positive revenue growth and positive net income in its most recent fiscal year over the previous year. Companies are judged on four-year sales revenue history.

Darkblade Systems received this award at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Fantastic 50 ceremony in Chantilly, Virginia on 27 April, 2017.

The Fantastic 50 List is published in the May 2017 issue of Virginia Business Magazine.

About Virginia’s Fantastic 50:

From the Virginia Chamber website: The Virginia Fantastic 50 Awards is the only program that highlights 50 of Virginia’s fastest growing companies on a statewide basis and is open to all types of businesses.

Four Darkblade Systems employees have completed the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) certification through a 17-week, four-course program offered through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is an approach to systems engineering that emphasizes developing and using new models as the key domain focus for information exchange between developers, engineers and program managers.

From the MIT website:
As the pace of innovation accelerates, engineers around the world are tasked with designing, managing, and optimizing increasingly complex systems. Employing industry case studies and the latest in systems thinking from MIT, this four-course online certificate program explores models and methods in systems engineering. Students gain a knowledge base in complex systems, analysis of complex systems, and model management that impacts the approach to solving problems and keeping abreast of innovation.

By the end of the program, students are able to frame systems architecture as a series of decisions, which can be actively sorted, managed, and optimized to suit an organization’s needs.

Darkblade Systems proudly supports the Charm City Roller Girls, which is part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), located in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 2005, the WFTDA is the premier roller derby league on the East Coast.

Our league is comprised of three intraleague teams: the Pigtown Butchers, Hampden Hons, and Dundalk Deviants. These three teams, inspired by the colors of the Maryland Flag and some of the most iconic (if not underappreciated parts of Baltimore) are comprised of all CCRG league skaters and bout each other in our home season at Skate Land in Dundalk, Maryland.

Our league also has three inter-league teams: The Charm City All Stars, Female Trouble, and The Trouble Makers. League skaters must try out for each of these teams, and aspire to be an elite skater on the All Star team—currently ranked #34 in the world by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. Each of these teams play bouts at home and away against teams nationwide and around the world.

Darkblade Systems is among the most recent graduates of the U.S. Small Business Owners cohort at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Intensive Entrepreneurship Training at Babson College. This National program helps entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity.

One hundred and forty-eight entrepreneurs from 36 states, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico graduated in Fall of 2016 from the Babson Cohort of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, a national program created to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital, and business support services. The graduates of the program this spring completed the blended online and face-to-face program that delivers intensive entrepreneurship training and practical training from Babson’s business experts and peers, alongside educational teams who teach the 10,000 Small Businesses program at community colleges across the country.

The small businesses in this group represent a total of $247M in revenues and over 3,000 jobs from a broad range of industries in manufacturing, construction, retail, services and non-profit organizations. The graduates join over 700 businesses reached through the Babson cohort and over 7,200 businesses served through the program across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and UK.

“We’re proud of our graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. These entrepreneurs put forth incredible effort to complete this program and we are confident their efforts will continue in growing their businesses. We are excited to watch their many successes,” said Kerry Healey, President of Babson College.

Babson has been partnering with Goldman Sachs and others on the 10,000 Small Businesses program since 2010, and has helped train over 250 faculty and staff who deliver the program primarily at community colleges throughout the United States, as well as through the national blended learning program at Babson College. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing access to education, capital and business support services.

Starting in September, for 11 weeks, these small business owners connected with peers and worked together through practical business education delivered through a blend of online and in-person sessions.

“The program is designed to be highly participative, focusing on peer and experiential types of learning – just Babson’s style,” said Babson Professor Patricia Greene, National Academic Director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and 10,000 Women. “These business owners represent the best of the U.S. economy, growing their businesses, including creating new jobs, in order to continue to strengthen our communities. Nearly 70% of participants increase revenues and 50% create new jobs just six months after graduating.”

10,000 Small Businesses offers qualified business owners:

Guidance in creating a customized growth plan that includes opportunity identification and feasibility analysis, financial management, leadership, negotiations, and marketing.

One-on-one business counseling and a network of peer support from other small business owners, as well as leaders in the business world.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is based on the broadly held view of leading experts that greater access to this combination of education, capital and support services best addresses barriers to growth for small businesses. 10,000 Small Businesses is guided by an Advisory Council on which Babson President Kerry Healey serves and is co-chaired by Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein, Bloomberg L.P. founder, president and CEO, and 108th Mayor of the City of New York Michael R. Bloomberg, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City’s Dr. Michael Porter. The National Urban League and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are also represented on the Advisory Council, among other groups.

To apply for the 10,000 Small Businesses business and management education program, please visit www.10KSBapply.com.

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Darkblade Systems has been certified as a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) company participant. The V3 effort is a Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Veterans Services Program that helps companies understand, design, and implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining Veterans. V3 connects employers with personnel who can enhance the workforce.

The V3 Program helps 100’s of companies throughout the Commonwealth to connect with veteran talent, and efficiently and effectively train these companies on best practices for recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans.

Darkblade Systems is committed to hiring veterans who have transitioned from military service. More than 85% of current Darkblade Systems’ employees are veterans.

Darkblade Systems has been named to the Trending 40 Red Hot Companies, with an awards ceremony on November 15, 2016 in Crystal City, Virginia. Trending 40 is an events program that recognizes and celebrates the top talent in Washington’s technology, legal, association and corporate communities. Trending 40 celebrates many of the exciting and fast growing companies from the region. DC has been a hotbed of activity in tech, hospitality, real estate, life sciences, health care and non-profits in recent years, and honorees are chosen based on demonstration of exceptional performance in their fields.

The 2016 Trending 40 Red Hot company list can be found here: TRENDING 40

November 2016
Darkblade Systems provides advanced cyber and digital network support for a Department of Defense (DOD) project focused on Computer Networking Operations (CNO) and digital network expertise in Colorado. Darkblade Systems’ Subject Matter Experts conduct multi-disciplinary analysis involving cutting-edge cyber tools and techniques. This fusion of talent and acumen grants an energetic new environment for more efficient collaboration within the DOD and Intelligence Community (IC).

https://darkbladesystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DarkBladeLogo_400.png00DarkBladehttps://darkbladesystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DarkBladeLogo_400.pngDarkBlade2016-11-01 15:42:372016-11-08 12:31:06Department of Defense Cyber Support in Colorado

October 2016
The U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) has awarded Darkblade Systems a Professional Services Schedule (PSS) contract. This is a Multiple Award Schedule that gives government agencies direct access to Darkblade Systems’ professional services team focused on engineering, operations, and cyber support.

September 2016
Darkblade Systems has been selected by Washington Technology as part of the 2016 Fast 50 list. Washington Technology selects the fastest growing small business contractors in the government market according to their five-year compound annual growth rate.

August 2016
Darkblade Systems is proud to announce that it has earned a spot as #212 on the 2016 Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists of America’s fastest-growing privately-held companies. Darkblade is joining other private companies at an Inc. celebration event in San Antonio in October 2016, honoring the 2016 Inc. 500 / 5000 companies.

Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is an American monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the “Inc. 500,” which was introduced in 1982. The Inc. 5000 is an expansion of the Inc. 500, which ranks the country’s top 5000 fastest-growing private companies and also features a special ranking of the top 10% of the list as the Inc. 500.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of the starting calendar year, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Companies have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies— as of December 31, 2015. The minimum revenue required for 2012 is $100,000; the minimum for 2015 is $2 million.

September 2015
Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) and Darkblade Systems Corporation, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), entered into a Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) agreement under the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).